Bonnie Tyler, the iconic Welsh singer behind hits like Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out for a Hero, has passed away at the age of 75.
The legendary singer died after being in an induced coma following emergency bowel surgery and the removal of her appendix. In a statement on her website, Bonnie's family expressed their heartbreak at her unexpected passing, stating that she died as a result of the illness she was being treated for.
Her family requested privacy to deal with this tragedy, but it was revealed that Bonnie had been admitted to a hospital in Faro, Portugal, where she had a home, and had undergone emergency intestinal surgery after feeling unwell around a month ago.
Earlier this month, Bonnie's friend Liberto Mealha stated that Bonnie had decided to travel to the Algarve, where she began to feel severe abdominal pain. Two days later, she went to a private hospital, which urgently transferred her to the hospital in Faro because her appendix had burst and she needed emergency surgery.
After being hospitalized, Bonnie suffered a cardiac arrest following the life-saving surgery and had to be resuscitated, according to reports.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, Neath, Wales, on June 8, 1951, Bonnie began her career at a young age when finishing second in a talent contest inspired her to pursue a career in music just before she turned 18.
After working as a backup singer, Bonnie was spotted singing with her band Imagination in a club in Swansea in 1975 and signed with RCA Records, changing her name to Bonnie Tyler. Her first hit record was released in 1976 with Lost in France, but she thought her career may be over before it had begun after having to have a vocal cord nodule operation.
Despite fears that her voice may be damaged beyond repair, Bonnie's voice did return, and it had become huskier and had more of an edge. It was this new vocal stylings that led to many labeling her the "female Rod Stewart," with that distinctive edge proving to be the making of her.
Bonnie's new vocal stylings led to her signing with CBS and collaborating with songwriter and producer Jim Steinman, famous for his partnership with Meat Loaf. Together, Steinman and Bonnie produced one of her most enduring hits, Total Eclipse of the Heart, released in February 1983, with the song going on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Bonnie continued to produce music and release albums right up until 2021 with the release of her final work, The Best Is Yet To Come. She was also the UK's entry for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, with the song "Believe in Me." Bonnie finished 19th on the night, with 23 points, stating at the time, "I did the best that I could do with a great song," adding, "I'm so glad and so happy that I did it because it was an incredible experience."
Bonnie's discography includes numerous albums, including The World Starts Tonight, Natural Force, Diamond Cut, Goodbye to the Island, and Faster Than the Speed of Night, among others.
Tyler is survived by her husband, Robert Sullivan, 76, a property developer and former Olympian, having competed in Judo at the 1972 Olympics. The couple had no children, but Bonnie has three sisters, two brothers, 16 nieces and nephews, and 14 great nieces and nephews.
Bonnie also participated in a number of charity ventures, including the Anti-Heroin Project in 1986 and Ferry Aid in 1987, releasing a cover of The Beatles' Let It Be to raise money for victims of the Zeebrugge Disaster. She was a patron of Bobath Children's Therapy in Wales since the 1990s and was an ambassador for the Noah's Ark Children's Hospice for Wales.
